The Up North Experience

Well you all know how passionately we love the UP, Michigan's Upper Pensinsula which is home to my family and of course the University the Spousal Unit and I graduated from, lo those many years ago.  We tried to squeeze as much family and friends into a week as is humanely possible, and had the best weather for all but one very rainy day.  The air is just so fresh and crisp and clean, it's easy to understand why so many of the well to do traveled North 100 years ago "for their health".  The scenery is always breathtaking, with massive forests and deep blue lakes and the grand one of all, Superior almost always within view.

Beautiful Lake Areflin

The breakwater in Marquette's harbor

Lighthouse at the end of the Harbor

Wildflowers add a beautiful spot of color 

 I had decided to treat us to a new camera that is as small and lightweight as a phone, and it decided to be temperamental for several days leaving a gap in our recording images.  This was taken on the northern west edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula close to the Society of St. John's Holy Transfiguration Skete and their business, The Jam Pot.  The monks have created a phenomenal business selling jams, jellies, candy, cookies and muffins to locals and tourists, it has turned from a sleepy little venture into a tremendous operation.
They have kept the little store they began their business in, but have added a warehouse and secondary building to accommodate supplies, inventory and an expanded candy making room.

This year there was a gentle stone ramp and retaining wall with plantings to make access to the building easier and beautiful.  The shop is only a stone's throw from Jacob's Falls, a lovely waterfall that cascades down a small cliff face to run into Lake Superior.  The views from the Monastery windows must be spectacular for the monks, with the nearest landfall nearly 60 miles away at Isle Royale.  The gales of November must also be quite intimidating when the Lake turns violent and stormy.

There is a sign on the doors in the middle of the photo that warns drivers "Thou Shalt Not Park Here", which I find amusing.  I wish there was also a dispensation for all the calories that grace the divine cookies we managed to eat after our visit.  We came away with 15 jars of jam, hopefully enough to last us another year until next summer's trip to the Northland.  The shop is only open from May through mid October.  There's a web site should you be tempted to order online.

While we were in Marquette we stopped into a pottery gallery right at the base of the ore loading docks, at the entrance to Presque Isle.  Ed Risak, his wife, and now their daughter make gorgeous raku fired pieces with a sprayed copper glaze that turns into a velvet looking northern light surface.  It wasn't possible to leave without taking this sweet little pot home with us.  Their studio has suffered a major loss with a fire that destroyed their kiln shed and two kilns, and partially damaged their studio wall.  Insurance won't cover replacement of their equipment, well meaning friends have started a funding page for them.  Artists often live a precarious financial life, even those who have great talent are at the mercy of chance and the vagaries of the economy.

The Spousal Unit was insistent that we stop at our University to see the large bronze husky, our mascot, in the central campus courtyard.  There, in the alumni pavers surrounding the statue were our names and graduation date carved into a stone paver.  What a fun surprise and now we're officially set in stone for posterity!  It has become a lovely campus, with all the newer buildings, dorms and the addition of beautiful summer gardens.  The Portage Canal is the northern boundary of the campus, and during the spring and fall it is still possible to watch the giant ore boats glide past on their way to the Soo Locks or the ports in Minnesota.  The sign in the Student Union still reads "Through these portals pass the best engineers in the world".  Our young cousins have picked up that torch and are pursuing their engineering degrees.  We'll be back in December for his graduation, to see another one of those best engineers begin his new life.

 

Namaste